"Croatia is on the right track to join the passport-free travel Schengen area in 2022 and enter the euro zone after that," Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, said in Brussels on Tuesday afternoon.

“It would be a great thing for us to join the Schengen area in 2022, and if it happens sooner, we will be very happy. As far as euro zone membership is concerned, we will do our best to make it happen as soon as possible,” Plenkovic said after a two-day extraordinary summit of the European Union leaders.

During his stay in Brussels, Plenkovic held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit, state agency Hina said.

“I have tried to raise awareness about the fact that the European Commission gave a green light to Croatia and established that it has met all the technical criteria to join the Schengen area,” Plenkovic said, adding that the “political decision to this effect would be considered” after his talks with the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, scheduled for Monday.